Good build and an adjustable stand, but image quality is mediocre for a professional TFT

ViewSonic makes bold claims for the latest addition to its LED Professional range. The 27in VP2765-LED is targeted at design, architectural and medical applications, as well as video production, and in ViewSonic's own words is "the ultimate professional-grade LCD monitor".

It certainly looks like it means business. The huge, claw-like stand does an outstanding job of keeping the VP2765-LED planted and stable on a desk, and the build quality is surprisingly good for the money. The adjustable stand is a bit clunky in operation - we had to guide it up and down with two hands - but it rises up to 130mm above the desk, and pivots into a portrait orientation.

Connectivity is excellent. It has DVI, D-SUB and DisplayPort video inputs, and the USB 2 hub provides two ports at the rear and another two on the monitor's left-hand edge. The integrated power supply is welcome, too.

While we've seen several 27in monitors using TN and IPS panels, and even one sporting Samsung's fledgling PLS panel technology, ViewSonic has bucked the trend by opting for an A-MVA panel. With a claimed contrast ratio of 3,000:1 and maximum brightness of 300cd/m[sup]2[/sup], it certainly sounds like a good choice.

In our tests it got off to a strong start. The measured contrast ratio of 2,428:1 and brightness of 316cd/m[sup]2[/sup] are a whisker away from ViewSonic's claims, and the average Delta E of 4.4 indicates that colour accuracy isn't too bad at all. At a glance, it's a monitor that delivers bright, punchy images.

The first disappointment, however, is the screen resolution. Where Hazro's HZ27WC accommodates a huge 2,560 x 1,440 panel, this ViewSonic sticks with a rather underwhelming 1,920 x 1,080. It's a poor decision on such a sizable professional monitor, with the obvious pixel structure leaving images and text lacking in sharpness.

Other glaring issues soon became apparent. Our suite of test images looked far from their usual selves, and both skintones and primary colours were dogged by a subtly unnatural tint. Further testing with our X-Rite colorimeter soon pinpointed the issue: the monitor's default colour temperature of 6,500K actually measured nearer 7,500K, and the gamma of 1.93 was well off from the ideal of 2.2. The results were obvious to the naked eye, with the high colour temperature lending images a cold, bluish tinge, and the low gamma reading adding a washed out look.

The final blow came when we tasked the ViewSonic with video playback. The dim, grainy Blu-ray of Black Swan presents a stern challenge to any display, and the VP2765-LED simply couldn't cope: ghosting trailed the ballet dancers as they swept across the screen, and even slow-moving scenes saw the A-MVA panel struggling to keep up.

It's a desperately uneven performance. Despite good build and a great stand, the mediocre image quality and Full HD resolution leave it placed awkwardly between cheaper 23in Full HD displays and superior 27in models. We applaud ViewSonic's attempts to bring a professional monitor to market at such an affordable price, but for all its bravado the Viewsonic VP2765-LED is impossible to recommend.

Any chance of reviewing that? I am guessing it's newer than the B2712HDS ...Bonus of better ergonomics with height adjustments...But I did call the B2712HDS the "MD Special" for aging MD's who's eyes were failing, but wanted to see more information on their screen at one time... but vanity prevents them wearing glasses!